Ball cage assembly device for vehicle hub bearings

Abstract

A ball cage assembly device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a work table including a seating base; a cage supply unit that supplies a cage with a plurality of pockets formed in a groove shape on the seating base; a ball filling unit that supplies a plurality of balls onto the plurality of supplied pockets using their own weight; a ball press-fitting unit that moves up and down and press-fits the plurality of supplied balls into the plurality of pockets to create a ball cage assembly; and an assembly conveying unit that conveys the ball cage assembly.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A ball cage assembly device comprising:
 a work table including a seating base;   a cage supply unit including a gantry loader configured to place a cage onto the seating base, the cage including a plurality of pockets, each pocket formed in a groove shape;   a ball filling unit that supplies a plurality of balls onto the plurality of pockets using their own weight;   a ball press-fitting unit that moves up and down and press-fits the plurality of balls into the plurality of pockets to form a ball cage assembly; and   an assembly conveying unit including the gantry loader configured to convey the ball cage assembly.   
     
     
         2 . The ball cage assembly device of  claim 1 , wherein the ball filling unit includes:
 a ball mounting unit that sequentially drops the plurality of balls;   a shutter table unit that seats the plurality of balls as the plurality of balls fall and guides the plurality of balls onto the plurality of pockets; and   a table conveying unit that moves the shutter table unit such that the plurality of balls are circumferentially spaced apart from each other on an upper surface of the shutter table unit, and such that the shutter table unit moves up and down between a lower end of the ball mounting unit and an upper surface of the cage.   
     
     
         3 . The ball cage assembly device of  claim 2 , wherein the shutter table unit includes:
 a table plate coupled to the table conveying unit and formed in the shape of a plate with a central hole;   a shutter bracket disposed on an upper surface of the table plate, the shutter bracket having a preset thickness, a circular hole in the center, and an opening on one side that leads into the circular hole;   a shutter formed in the shape of a disk, a protrusion being provided at one point on an outer circumferential surface of the disk, the shutter having a plurality of through holes that are circumferentially spaced apart from each other and through which the plurality of balls pass;   a shutter block including a plurality of through holes that extend from an inlet part having spacing and size corresponding those of the plurality of through holes of the shutter to an outlet part having spacing and size corresponding to those of the plurality of pockets, thereby guiding the plurality of balls onto the plurality of pockets; and   a shutter rotation cylinder coupled to the protrusion to rotate the shutter at a preset angle.   
     
     
         4 . The ball cage assembly device of  claim 3 , wherein the plurality of through holes of the shutter and the plurality of through holes of the shutter block are misaligned at a first time point such that the plurality of balls remain seated on an upper surface of the shutter block, and become aligned at a second time point when the shutter rotates by the preset angle via the shutter rotation cylinder, such that the plurality of balls fall and are guided to an upper part of the plurality of pockets through the through holes of the shutter block. 
     
     
         5 . The ball cage assembly device of  claim 3 , wherein:
 the shutter block comprises a first shutter block having a cylindrical shape, and   a second shutter block coupled to a e bottom of the first shutter block and having a tapered cylindrical shape with a lower surface of the second shutter block that is smaller than an upper surface of the second shutter block;   the through holes of the shutter block comprise   a first through hole formed vertically in the first shutter block, and   a second through hole formed in the second shutter block, the second through hole being inclined at a second preset angle toward a central axis of the second shutter block as it extends downward through the second shutter block; and   the ball mounting unit seats the plurality of balls on the shutter table unit using a circular interpolation function by simultaneously operating two axes of a servo.